1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the transportation of framed drawings or paintings and more particularly, to a carrier for transporting a drawing or painting, the canvas, painted or drawing surface of which is not yet dry or may be damaged or soiled by contact with another object. The carrier of this invention is characterized by a box-like frame having a closed back panel and open at the front, with spacers provided in the frame for insertion of a drawing or painting such that the drawing or painted surface of the drawing or painting is spaced from the back panel by the spacers. A flexible binder such as a string or cord is extended through spaced openings provided in the bottom panel and notched openings located in the top panel of the frame to mount in a handle, in order to prevent the panel from falling from the carrier frame and to facilitate convenient transportation the carrier by hand. The binder also extends around the back panel and in a loop through the notched openings provided in the top panel or around that segment of the opposite end of the binder which is attached to the handle, to facilitate hanging the carrier frame on a nail or hook for displaying or carrying the drawing or painting, as desired.
One of the problems which exists in the handling of drawings and paintings, and particularly charcoal drawings and oil paintings, where the charcoal is easily smeared and the oils used in creating the painting are slow to dry or are delicate and brittle due to age, is that of transporting the drawings and paintings from place to place without smearing, damaging or soiling the painted or charcoal surface. Various devices for carrying paintings, and oil paintings in particular, are known in the art. Typical of these devices are the large, bulky carrying devices which are commonly used to transport oil paintings but which are heavy and difficult to maneuver. Since oils used to create paintings frequency require weeks to thoroughly dry, the painted surface of the canvas cannot be allowed to touch another surface during this time period. Furthermore, the paint applied in old paintings may be brittle and cracked and therefore easily damaged by contact with another object. Moreover, the delicate hues and colors of many paintings can be easily muted or altered by soiling through contact with various objects, including dust, pollen and other airborne particles. Accordingly, under circumstances where the large and bulky conventional painting carrier devices are not practical for use, the wet or otherwise damage-vulnerable paintings and drawings must be transported by hand, with careful attention to the painted or charcoal-drawn surfaces in order to prevent smearing or other damage. This procedure is not without hazard, since merely carrying such paintings or drawings outside may result in dust, pollen and like material depositing on a wet painted or charcoal surface. Nor can the paintings or drawings be easily slipped into a sack, box or other conventional carrying device, for fear of smudging or smearing the charcoal lines or the wet oils on the painted surface or otherwise damaging the works of art.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a carrier for transporting wet and damage-vulnerable drawings and paintings by covering the paintings and drawings in such a manner as to protect the painted or drawing surfaces from smearing, direct contact damage and from damage due to contact with dust, pollen and other airborne particles.
It is another object of this invention to provide a new and improved carrier for transporting charcoal or soft lead drawings and paintings, which carrier is characterized by a box-like frame having a closed back and an open front and fitted with a flexible binder for removably securing a painting or drawing in the frame without smearing or damaging the painted, charcoal or pencilled surface.
Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved carrier for damage-prone drawings and paintings, which carrier includes a square or rectangular frame provided with a closed back and open at the front and further fitted with peripheral spacers and a removable, slidably-mounted string or cord binder, in order to receive a painting or drawing and space the painted or drawn surface from the back panel for transporting the painting or drawing from place to place.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved carrier for receiving and transporting paintings having a wet canvas or delicate, brittle painted surface, which carrier includes a generally rectangular or square, box-like frame having a closed back and spacers fitted around at least a portion of the inside periphery of the frame against the back panel, for receiving a painting and spacing the wet or brittle painted surface from the back panel and further including a flexible binder such as a string or cord adjustably stretched through openings in the frame and connected to a handle to retain the painting in the frame and facilitate carrying of the frame and painting.
A still further object of this invention is to provide a new and improved carrier frame for transporting charcoal and soft pencil drawings and paintings having a wet or brittle canvas, which carrier frame includes a box-like frame of selected configuration and size provided with a closed back panel and spacers provided around at least a portion of the perimeter of the frame and seated against the back panel for receiving a painting or drawing and spacing the painted or drawn surface from the back panel. Further included is a loop of flexible cord or string slidably extending through spaced openings provided in the bottom panel of the frame and stretched across the frame from bottom to top through slots provided in the top panel to a handle, with the opposite end of the loop extended over the handle for removably retaining the painting or drawing in position inside the carrier frame and gripping the handle to transport the painting.